The Issaquah City Council voted 4-2 at the Feb. 8 meeting to allocate $80,000 towards an improvement plan for the intersection of Maple Street Northwest and the Target and Trader Joe’s driveways.

According to the agenda bill, a mini-roundabout will be installed at the intersection to “improve safety” and “provide a more intuitive intersection for use by pedestrians and drivers.” There are no pavement markings in the current intersection.

The intersection was one of nine Issaquah traffic improvement priorities that the mayor’s Traffic Task Force identified last year, though it was not one of the four the council chose to be included in November’s traffic bond. The task force initially estimated a cost of $5 million for the intersection improvements.

“As everyone is aware, this intersection has been a longtime source of confusion and aggravation for both our residents and shoppers in the area,” said Kurt Seemann, the city’s transportation manager.

The council was presented with three possible options for the intersection.

For a cost of $50,000, Alternative 1 would remove the decorative pavement of the current intersection and “create a standard, two-way stop intersection,” according to Transportation Engineer Brianne Ross.

At $100,000, Alternative 2 would see the installation of a roundabout without digging up the existing roadways. A rubber mountable curb would be placed on top of the current concrete roadway and would be filled in with asphalt, creating the center of a mini-roundabout. Additionally, pedestrian refuge islands made of the same rubber curbs and asphalt would be installed on Maple Street, and the ramps on Maple Street would be made ADA-compliant.

In Alternative 3, which Ross called a “more standard roundabout,” the current concrete intersection would be dug up and a standard Washington State Department of Transportation mountable roundabout curb would be installed, which would include truck aprons as well as landscaping in the middle. Concrete pedestrian refuge islands would be installed on Maple and the ramps would be made ADA-compliant. This option would cost $500,000; Ross explained that the reason for the large cost difference between Alternatives 2 and 3 was that removing the roadway would mean a much lengthier and more involved construction process.

Ross said that mini-roundabouts have been shown to reduce severe car crashes by 78 to 82 percent, and noted that having landscaping in the center of a roundabout clearly discourages both drivers and pedestrians from trying to pass through the center of the intersection.

Four council members spoke against the more expensive roundabout.

“I don’t support spending a total of $530,000 (the cost of the project plus $30,000 for four rectangular rapid flashing beacons) on a roundabout that functions essentially the same way … For an extra few hundred thousand dollars we could do a lot with that money,” said Council President Stacy Goodman, who was also acting as mayor pro tempore, as Mayor Fred Butler was absent after having fallen earlier in the day.

Goodman added that the rubber roundabout’s lack of landscaping would not have to be a problem, as the council “could figure out ways to make it pretty.”

Ross said this would be possible as long as the centerpiece was something that did not need a deep foundation, as it would be sitting on top of the asphalt.

Councilmember Bill Ramos suggested putting something as simple as flower pots into the middle of the roundabout to beautify the intersection and make drivers aware of the roundabout’s presence.

Councilmember Mariah Bettise agreed.

“I think there’s some things we can do with option 2 that would get us to the same place,” she said.

“I can’t support $500,000 for this roundabout … We just need to make sure that the consumer is able to cross the streets in a safe fashion,” Councilmember Eileen Barber said. “To be honest, there is not that much foot traffic on that particular piece, and I believe that our residents will be just as safe at the lower dollar.”

Deputy Council President Mary Lou Pauly and Councilmember Paul Winterstein both spoke in favor of Alternative 3.

“I do see that the more expensive option that looks more permanent I think will have a much higher level of traffic calming because it looks like an actual road improvement,” Deputy Council President Mary Lou Pauly said. “Option B to me looks like a Band-Aid for a problem — I don’t think it’s a significant enough improvement.”

“I think the overall calming effect and the proper use and the net goal of achieving a safer, more intuitive intersection is achieved with a full-fledged mini-roundabout, with the proper design that people are used to seeing, with the landscaping in the middle of vibrant, growing plants that are permanent,” Winterstein said.

“Those are the reasons, better function, something that we can be proud of, we do have the money to fund that.”

Pauly added that she would love to see a sign welcoming drivers and pedestrians to Central Issaquah.

Pauly made a motion to approve Alternative 3. Pauly and Winterstein voted in its favor, but the motion failed 4-2.

Goodman made a motion to approve Alternative 2, with the addition of four rectangular rapid flashing beacons for a cost of $30,000. Because the council had already included $50,000 in the 2017 budget for the Maple Street and Trader Joe’s intersection, the grand total needed for Alternative 2 with the addition of the beacons was $80,000.

Goodman’s motion passed 4-2, with Pauly and Winterstein voting nay.

Councilmember Tola Marts was not present for the vote.